With an extensive heritage stretching back to 1832, Longines pride themselves on producing timeless, beautifully manufactured Swiss watches, with designs that are indented to have universal appeal. The newest Longines Railroad watch revisits their 1966 35mm version, which was used by the Canadian railways for its legible dial and its reliable caliber 280. The movement has also been used in many other Longines watches and featured a fine adjustment, swan neck regulator and hacking feature.

The modern interpretation of the Longines Railroad watch now features a cleaner, clearer and wider dial, and bold black Arabic numerals – guidelines presented by the Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission in 1891. Comparing the old and new versions of the Longines Railroad watch, very few differences can be found. Of course the materials and the design has been further refined to evoke crisper detailing and enhanced legibility, but style-wise, the design has strayed very little from the faithful original.

Longines eventually followed in the footsteps of other leading watch manufacturers who produced timepieces that passed those regulations drawn up back in 1891, if somewhat a little later than other competitors. The call for such precision and accuracy came as a result of a disastrous train tragedy which occurred in Kipton, Ohio in 1891. The accident took the lives of 11 people and highlighted the need for strict timekeeping standards across America. Longines adhered to the qualities asked by the Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission, manufacturing a timepiece that harked back to this time in history – a tribute to such worthy requirements of its day.

For those with a natural admiration for olde worlde timepieces and wristwatches with a true vintage feel about them, the historic-looking Longines Railroad watch will be sure to impress. The watch is fitted with black hands that are readable, including a long slender seconds hands which gracefully sweeps across the surface of the dial with an undeniable elegance. The Longines logo is applied just below the 12 o’clock location where it is commonly found throughout the entire Longines universe.

A crisp, slightly domed sapphire crystal glass has been fitted to protect the dial of the Longines Railroad watch. Treated with anti reflective and scratch resistant technology, the glass allows a clear insight into the dial without any undesirable glare from the sun or artificial light from affecting the beautifully arranged display. The 40mm Longines Railroad watch features gorgeous polished sides and caseback , the latter of which has been engraved with an original steam train, along with the serial number, model number and water resistance information.

The off-white dial of this Longines Railroad watch, teams beautifully with the crisp black numbering and the “automatic” lettering on the dial. Additional text seen above the 6 o’clock location reads “R.R. 888” – the modified Longines caliber L888.2 movement with a power reserve of 64 hours. The movement beats peerlessly inside a solid stainless steel case protected from water, heat, shock, vibration and pressure. To finish the timepiece, Longines choose a traditional black alligator-style strap with white contrast stitching and a polished stainless steel fasten. The Longines Railroad watch is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the company’s finest, expertly designed wristwatches of all time.